The Northwest Territories’ active Covid-19 case count grew to 1,274 on Thursday, an increase of 77 cases that represented a slight slowing in the Omicron wave’s spread.
Numbers of active cases have been growing by more than 100 per day of late. While 124 new cases were reported on Thursday, there were also 47 recoveries according to the NWT government’s dashboard.
A new hospitalization related to Covid-19 was recorded, the second since the Omicron wave began in December.
The number of intensive care admissions and deaths remained unchanged. There have so far been no intensive care admissions associated with Omicron in the NWT.
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
Yellowknife moved from 662 active cases to 722, while the Tłı̨chǫ figure dropped slightly from 217 cases to 214.
The Beaufort Delta remained on 122 active cases and the Sahtu dropped by one to 64.
The Dehcho gained 10 active cases, moving from 52 to 62. Hay River moved from 42 to 50 and Fort Smith from 37 to 40.
Also on Thursday, the territorial government announced the way some Covid-19 exposures are reported will change. Exposure related to incoming Air Canada and WestJet flights, or to big box stores, for example, will no longer be reported on the GNWT’s website.
The territory also said travellers at the Hay River and Fort Smith airports, and those arriving into Fort Smith by winter road, will have access to Covid-19 rapid tests starting this weekend.
A healthcare staffing crisis exacerbated by the Covid-19 outbreak continued. X-ray services at the Yellowknife Primary Care Centre were cancelled for Thursday and Friday. The NWT’s health authority cited an unexpected staff shortage.
